


Long Journey

by 5ataen



Series: Planetary Deities AU [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternative Universe - Space Pirates, M/M, alternative universe - futuristic, deity!seonghwa, idk how to explain it but its not gonna be fluffy i can tell u that for free, space officer!seonghwa, space pirates!ateez, the oc is just hwa's sister guys dw she won't get together with any of the boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22417510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5ataen/pseuds/5ataen
Summary: It all started with the simple capture of a space ranger, Hongjoong could have never imagined that it would all spiral out into a long journey involving learning new technology, meeting the deities, and learning things about himself that he never thought about.But hey, it all comes with adventure and plundering with people that he holds dear, so could he really complain?
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Planetary Deities AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541119
Comments: 11
Kudos: 44





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my first actual chaptered work in a long, long time. i usually only write one shots or short chaptered work bc commitment issues but this is my baby!!! i want everyone to see it!!!! and also i've already talked about this and already have the series up so hey might as well.
> 
> irregular updates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the prologue is rather vague, to mirror its counterpart, but don't worry everything will be clearer when i post the chapters.
> 
> now, without further ado, please come along with me and enjoy this long journey

Hongjoong was no fool. He had been a pirate for most of his life, he was familiar with being trailed, whether the being that trailed him was a ranger or not.

So he immediately knew he was being trailed the second it all started. It’s not like it was particularly hard, anyway. The blonde ranger didn’t even try to be that subtle. Yes, the blonde man hid and tried to be in the shadows. But he wasn’t even doing _that_ very well.

 _What an idiot._ Hongjoong thought to himself. He must be a rookie.

Hongjoong discreetly sent out a message to his crewmates with the communication device Yunho had made for all of them.

_Being trailed by a ranger. I’m gonna try and bring him on board. Jongho, San, Wooyoung, get ready to capture him, he might put up a fight._

He received three “Roger that”s almost immediately, and then a “we’ll make our way back” from Yunho a while later.

And then, Hongjoong got on Illusion, his crew’s ship, and the idiot followed him right on it. _He definitely has to be a rookie._

“Have you had your fun following me, officer?” Hongjoong asked, turning around to face the ranger, who only stared at him wide-eyed. Hongjoong’s eyes landed on the badge and nametape on the man’s left breast, the golden badge had two bars on it and his nametape read “LT PARK SEONGHWA”, making Hongjoong slightly confused.

Suddenly, Jongho, San, and Wooyoung jumped out from wherever they were hiding and apprehended the ranger, who didn’t even put up much of a fight. Soon, he was bound and thrown into the brig of the Illusion.

“Did he put up a fight?” Yunho asked once he, Mingi, and Yeosang got back on the ship. San simply shook his head.

“He got on the ship like an idiot, and he didn’t even react when we jumped him. I think he’s new, and probably looking for an easy way to climb up the ranks.” Wooyoung replied.

“Nah, he can’t be new,” Hongjoong piped up. “He’s a higher rank than I anticipated, he’s definitely an experienced ranger.”

“Then why would he so stupidly follow a _pirate_ onto his ship?” Jongho asked. Hongjoong could only shake his head and shrug.

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out soon enough.” Hongjoong replied, resolute.

Over the course of the next few days, Hongjoong visited the ranger in his cell, trying to get some information out of him. No ranger would so carelessly let themselves get captured, especially not one that had a badge with two bars on it.

Hongjoong was born and grew up in Mars; the second Earth, beings liked to call it. Rangers were a slightly more common sight there, many humans were Martians because a majority of the humans migrated to Mars when Earth started its decline into an uninhabitable planet, and humans tended to become rangers; Hongjoong had the theory that it was one of the only ways they could feel superior to at least the general public of alien species. So, Mars was a main hub for rangers. The only two planets that had a bigger influx of rangers were Saturn, where rangers often went for ship and equipment maintenance, repairs, and upgrades, and Jupiter, where the Intergalactic Council made headquarters in.

The ranger refused to give up any information, however, and Hongjoong was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he really was just a stupid rookie who stole a badge and wanted to act as if he was big.

That is, until, Hongoong remembered the spheroid he and his crew found when they were plundering a debris cluster near Earth some time ago. It was tech he had never seen before. He had just been calling it a map ever since, since that’s what it looked like when opened. Hongjoong, however, could not figure out how it functioned and what was its purpose. Heck, when Yunho had tried to use it, he was faced with difficulties. The Saturnian couldn’t even open it the first few times he tried. The crew had been trying to crack the device ever since they found it.

The spheroid was new and difficult tech. When they found it, Hongjoong had thought it was some top-secret Council device. But Yunho was sceptical if it was, because it was left in a debris cluster near _Earth_ of all planets. Hongjoong was almost convinced as well.

But now that a ranger had appeared, Hongjoong’s initial theory only became more likely. Maybe, it was a top-secret Council project after all. And maybe, that ranger was sent to get the device back. That would explain why he made himself so easy to capture. He was just waiting for a chance to undergo whatever plan he had in mind. Perhaps, the ranger wasn’t such a fool after all.

“Has the officer talked?” Yunho asked one night. He and Hongjoong were in the bridge, setting their course for the following day.

Hongjoong suddenly felt like they were being watched, just a dull gnawing feeling in his gut. But he simply ignored the feeling, owing it to paranoia that came with being a pirate for so long. There were no ships near Illusion now, he was sure of it, and he was sure no one else was on the ship other than his crew and the ranger that he was sure was locked in his cell.

“No he hasn’t, Yunho.” Hongjoong replied. Yunho’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“No offence, Hongjoong, but how are you so sure that he’s after you specifically? He could really just be a new recruit, and you know we don’t have any use for new recruits. We should just let him go.” Yunho said. Yunho was the first one Hongjoong had told his speculations of being ‘targeted’, in a sense, to, mainly because Yunho was simply the most analytical out of the whole crew, Hongjoong included.

“No, his badge doesn’t suggest that he’s new. He has to be at least a little weathered, I would know; I’m from Mars. I’ve seen ranger badges my whole life.” Hongjoong shook his head, firm in his knowledge of rangers. “He has _got_ to be after us specifically, and if we’re important enough to be hunted down, then those big guys from the Rangers must have sent someone at the least bit useful.” He continued. “And I would bet that he is after this,” Hongjoong quickly added, before he took out the Map from his inner pocket, and then set it atop the navigation screen. The top half of it easily opened up, and it shot out a hologram of a half-dome-shaped map, numerous twinkling lights appearing across the globe.

“It’s an incredible device, Hongjoong, tech that even I have never seen before, but it wasn’t really the most protected. I don’t think the Rangers would send anyone out for it, heck the Rangers might not even know it exists.” Yunho provided his argument. He has had his own fair share of working with new and confidential tech back in Saturn, and they were always heavily guarded. This compass, it was just floating around in space in a debris cluster. It _couldn’t_ be that important.

“I have a hunch, Yunho. There must be a reason why this type of tech doesn’t exist yet, you Saturnians would have probably already created something like this even if it was unknown. Even _you_ can’t crack how this works, and we’ve had it for a few weeks now.” Hongjoong fought back gently. “But if it was _hidden_ tech, then that would explain why even Saturn hasn’t come up with such tech.” Hongjoong added. “It _might_ be a prototype that they carelessly discarded of.” Hongjoong ended.

“It _could_ be, but it could not be. I still say it isn’t though.” Yunho replied, before he let out a small yawn. “I’m gonna head off to bed, Hongjoong. And you should, too. You’re already so sleep deprived.” Yunho playfully chided, making Hongjoong chuckle.

“You know me, I have a horrible sleep schedule, there’s no fixing it.” Hongjoong chuckled, eyes crinkling. “I’ll probably just try to crack this thing before I turn in, though I doubt I’ll get very far.” Hongjoong reassured. Yunho chuckled.

“Alrighty then. Good night, Hongjoong. I’ll see you again when we wake.” Yunho bid as he turned to leave.

“Good night, Yunho. Sleep well.” Hongjoong bid back, and soon silence filled the bridge after the heavy metal door closed. Hongjoong turned all his attention back to the little spheroid and its hologram. It was definitely a map, the big ball in the middle was probably the sun, and the smaller balls were probably planets. The twinkling lights, however, Hongjoong had no idea about. The spheroid itself had no buttons, so Hongjoong was sure he couldn’t navigate the device through the use of buttons.

Hongjoong sighed. It was going to be a long night.

“He’s made a slip of tongue a few times, he’s mentioned the higher-ranking Rangers and even mentioned that map thing we found a while back. I think it’s safe to assume he really is after that thing.” Hongjoong provided.

Hongjoong and his crew were having their weekly meeting in the bridge, and after two months and three weeks of keeping the ranger captive, he was finally the main topic of the meeting.

“I think Hongjoong is right,” Yeosang said, voice calm. “The device isn’t something we’ve ever seen before, so how else would he know anything about it?” Yeosang questioned.

“But, what if he’s playing a ruse? He could just be bluffing us.” Mingi provided his two cents. “We’re not entirely sure if he’s human, he could be some other alien race that has really good hearing or something, so maybe he’s eavesdropped on our conversations on the device.” Mingi said.

“Yeah, but-”

Hongjoong drowned out whatever Yeosang was saying when he felt dread suddenly start to rise from his gut. He suddenly sat upright, alert, an action not missed by San.

“Is everything alright, captain?” The merman asked, concern laced in his voice.

“Yeah… I just suddenly have this feeling… Like something is about to happen.” Hongjoong replied, putting the rest of the crew on edge. Their captain’s gut feeling was never wrong.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion on the right side of Illusion, shaking the whole ship. The crew all looked at each other wide-eyed, before they all ran to where the explosion was perceived, retrieving their weapons quickly. They reached the explosion sight, the brig, their weapons drawn. Hongjoong had half the mind to be worried about Seonghwa, since he was the only prisoner they had, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t more worried about Illusion rather than the ranger’s life.

When they reached, the smoke gave way enough to see a woman practically the same height as Seonghwa grabbing the man and guiding him towards the opening.

“Stop right there!” Hongjoong commanded, sword’s tip pointed at the two. The pair simply turned their heads to look at him.

“You blow a hole in my ship, and you expect me to let you off unscathed?” Hongjoong almost growled. “Who are you?” Hongjoong asked, jutting the tip of his sword towards the woman, who had the audacity to chuckle.

“You’re cute,” She commented, teasing. “Like you said, I blow a hole in your ship, and you think a sword is gonna scare me?” The woman asked. Yunho and Wooyoung both pointed their guns at the woman. “Guns don’t scare me either, buddy.” The woman commented, noticing the movement.

“I asked you a question.” Hongjoong said, voice dead serious. The woman only let out a huff of a laugh.

“You really had no idea who you kept as a prisoner, huh?” She laughed. “The name’s Seongkeum, you already know my brother, Seonghwa, reverse our names and you’ll find out who we truly are.” The woman, Seongkeum, revealed.

“I would love to stay and play 20 questions, but I’m currently in the middle of a rescue, so, if you excuse me,” Seongkeum didn’t finish, instead, she propelled the both of them out of the ship, a burst of flames igniting from the bottom on the woman’s feet, and onto another ship hovering near the side where the explosion occurred. Yunho would have stopped and marvelled at the obviously more high-end ship, but the thought of the nightmare of having to patch up their own vessel was too great.

The woman turned and grinned at the crew once she and Seonghwa were safely on the other ship. “Oh, and don’t worry about you’re ship, the flames won’t spread, but you still will have that gaping hole. But you have a Saturnian with you, you guys should be fine.” Seongkeum relayed, before the ship the two were on took off.

The whole crew just stared, slightly confused.

What just happened? And what did that woman mean by ‘reverse our names’?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while i do have the main bulk of this story planned and a few snippets of a few chapters written, i've only finished i wanna say maybe 40% of this whole story. i expected it to be around 5 chapters, but with what i have now i think it'll definitely be more.
> 
> i also haven't written anything i was serious about in so long so do excuse me if one second it's written with all seriousness and no fun and then the next it's ridiculously written.


	2. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come aboard the Starlight.

“Hwa, you could have easily gotten yourself out, why didn’t you just break out?” Seongkeum asked once she and Seonghwa were inside the bridge of her ship, Starlight. Seonghwa averted his eyes and kept quiet, only speaking a few beats later.

“… You saw him, didn’t you? He looks exactly like Jiyong.” Seonghwa started after a few beats. “Hwa…” Seongkeum sighed, but before she could say anything else, Seonghwa interjected.

“And he found _his_ Map. He could even get it to open, as if it was made for him. Wonshik made our maps so that mortals couldn’t use it so easily. I had to stick around, Keum.” Seonghwa concluded. It was quiet for a few more beats.

“Hwa, Jiyong fell centuries ago. He can’t come back, we’ve tried. You have to let him go.” Seongkeum said.

“I know, Keum, but I saw him and was reminded of _him_ and I wanted to just see him again, I _had_ to see him again, to be near him again.” Seonghwa fought back. “I still miss him, Keum. When Jiyong fell… It felt as if _I_ was the one who was being felled.”

“I understand, Seonghwa, but you can’t keep living in the past forever. Jiyong wouldn’t have wanted you to be like this, brother, clutching onto a ghost.” Seongkeum comforted.

“But Keum-” Seonghwa couldn’t continue, Seongkeum’s Map letting out three quick tones. She was receiving a call. Seongkeum sighed.

“Come, Seonghwa. It’s time for the deity conference call. We’ve missed you the past two months.” Seongkeum said, wrapping her arms around Seonghwa’s shoulders and gently guided him towards her Map.

The Map gave off two other sets of the same tone before Seongkeum picked up the call, six holograms appearing around the dome map; the other deities.

“Ah, Seonghwa, it’s great to see you again.” Ravi, Saturn’s deity, spoke first.

“Yes, as Wonshik said. I am happy to see you are well. However, it has been so long, what ever happened to you? I was worried the mortals got you.” Hera, Jupiter’s deity, asked, concern lacing her voice and features.

“Well, you could say that happened. They had one of Chris’ with them; a jadeite, so they’re not all exactly mortal.” Seongkeum piped up.

“Oh, a jadeite? Those gems are rare these days. I wonder how they broke free from the Diamonds’ guard.” Paragon, Mercury’s deity, commented.

“Not the point. Seongkeum, you mentioned that what Sowon said was true. You were captured, Seonghwa?” Daeryoung, Neptune’s deity, interjected, and Seonghwa nodded.

“I was captured and kept captive for the past few months. I wasn’t supposed to leave my ship for more than an hour at most when I was captured, so I didn’t have my Map on me and I couldn’t inform any of you until Keum found me.” Seonghwa explained. Woozi, Pluto’s deity, scoffed.

“See, this is why I said we should’ve punished the mortals more than simply just disappearing on them. They’ve gone ahead and captured a deity.” Woozi said, exasperated.

“Jihoon, we’re deities, we can’t allow ourselves to stoop as low as mortals and punish them cruelly. We know better.” Soryoung, Uranus’ deity, reminded.

“We’re still missing the point.” Hera suddenly piped up. “Seonghwa, you are a deity, you could have easily escaped yourself. Why didn’t you?” Hera asked, turning her attention to Seonghwa.

“His captor… He looked like Jiyong.” Seongkeum provided, and everyone stayed silent.

“Seonghwa, Jiyong is gone.” Ravi reminded softly after a few beats.

“We went into hiding because of Jiyong’s fall. It has been centuries, Seonghwa. We have to let him go, _you_ have to let him go.” Hera added, solemn.

“I know, Sowon.” Seonghwa replied, looking down. “But Jiyong was great and mighty! He was the only one strong enough to endure the abuse the mortals put him through, he couldn’t have gone just like that. He couldn’t have just fallen because of a few foolish humans.” Seonghwa suddenly burst, shocking everyone. Seongkeum put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I want him back, and if he’s back in the form of a human, then I’ll take the chance.” Seonghwa added.

“Oh, darling…” Hera breathed.

“We’ve tried, Seonghwa. We really have. But we can’t get Earth back to what it was before, the planet suffered too much for too long.” Ravi reminded. “That human you met is probably just a lookalike. Even we deities cannot come back from the dead.” Ravi said gently, not wanting to hurt the other deity but also not wanting to give him false hope. Seonghwa sighed.

“I know, Wonshik.” Seonghwa replied, defeated.

“Let’s move on from such depressing topics, shall we?” Paragon suggested gently.

“Yes, we shall. Let’s start the status updates of our planets.” Daeryoung replied, “Seonghwa, you’re excused from today’s status update.” Daeryoung added.

“Alright, thank you.” Seonghwa replied simply.

The call didn’t last very long after that. All the planets were healthy, none of them were nearing hazardous levels. Seonghwa had stayed glum throughout the whole call.

“What do you wish to do now, Seonghwa?” Seongkeum asked softly after the call ended.

“What do you mean, Seongkeum?” Seonghwa asked.

“I know you won’t let him go so easily. And, honestly, Seonghwa, if it makes you happy, I will accompany you in whatever you plan to do. If that plan happens to be locating him again and somehow try to get confirmation whether he is Jiyong or just a terrifyingly similar lookalike, then I will help you.” Seongkeum explained, and Seonghwa’s eyes widened in shock.

“Keum…” Seonghwa whispered.

“Seonghwa, you deserve closure. I don’t want you to grieve any longer. It’s been centuries. It hurts me to see you so shattered.” Seongkeum said, and Seonghwa couldn’t help the tears that slipped down his cheeks. Seongkeum immediately went to him and hugged him, running a comforting hand down his spine.

“Don’t cry, baby brother.” Seongkeum comforted.

“Thank you, Keum. Thank you…” Seonghwa said.

“Anything for you, brother.” Seongkeum said, breaking the hug, smiling softly at the other deity.

“Our first step is to retrieve Twilight and get your Map. It should pinpoint where he is.” Seongkeum said, referring to Seonghwa’s ship by its name, and Seonghwa nodded.

“I left my ship in Aethar, but I have it set to move on its own in the event that it isn’t commanded for more than 3 days. I have no idea where it could be now.” Seonghwa informed.

“That’s no problem, I have Twilight tracked on my Map.” Seongkeum replied, turning to her map. She hovered her finger above the globe, and slowly swiped as if it was touch screen, and the globe rotated. A dulled-red light blinked near Uxelt, a Saturn colony near Aethar.

“We’re heading to Uxelt then,” Seongkeum announced, “But not now. I believe you deserve a rest. Even if you don’t need it physically, you need one mentally.” Seongkeum ordered, and Seonghwa wordlessly nodded.

“Don’t worry, Seonghwa. We’ll find him. I’ll make sure of it.” Seongkeum promised.

The two deities took a day of rest, Seonghwa needing it more than he thought he did. But after that, they sped off to Uxelt.

Uxelt wasn’t very far from where they were, so they only took a day and a half to locate Seonghwa’s ship. Seongkeum circled Starlight around the area, scouting the area of any other ships. While numerous alien races had their own share of ‘supernatural’ powers, the deities had a combination of powers no other being had. It would be difficult to explain themselves if someone saw Seonghwa manipulating metal.

Once they were sure no other ship was around, Seonghwa manipulated the metal on his ship, creating a bridge between Starlight and Twilight, and he quickly walked across the bridge and to his ship. Entering the interior of Twilight, he made his way to the bridge, where his Map was located. Seonghwa cupped a hand on the surfaced of the half-dome, and made a swiping motion, as if closing a lid. The hologram stopped casting, and the mount of the spheroid elevated itself, allowing Seonghwa to easily retrieve the now-closed rust-red spheroid.

Once the spheroid was safely tucked in his pocket, Seonghwa then made to his quarters and started to pack a few clothes in a suitcase. Getting out of his Ranger uniform would make him more inconspicuous. Once done, Seonghwa made his way out of the interior of the ship and walked across the metal bridge back onto Starlight. Then, he turned towards his ship, put his suitcase down to free up both his hands, and made crushing motion with his two hands, and the ship shrunk, small enough to put in his pocket. Seonghwa pulled his arms inwards, and the shrunken ship hovered towards him, falling safely in the deity’s hand. Seonghwa picked up his suitcase again, and then walked into the interior of Starlight.

“I trust that you have it?” Seongkeum asked when Seonghwa entered the bridge, and Seonghwa nodded.

“Come, place it with my Map.” Seongkeum gestured towards were her Map was. The Venus deity closed the active map, and the mount of her map elevated itself, just like Seonghwa’s did. Seonghwa walked toward the mount, and placed his Map together with Seongkeum’s. The two spheroids became smaller in size, and the two started to revolve within the mount. Seongkeum hovered a hand above the mount, and then made a pressing down gesture. The mount lowered itself and retracted once more, and a single hologram was beamed from within. Now, the half-dome presented before them had additional twinkling lights.

“Oh, he’s near.” Seongkeum mentioned, noticing the light that blinked between a muted green and blue that was slowly nearing Uxelt, opposite the side they were closest.

“What would they be doing at Uxelt?” Seonghwa asked.

“Well, I blew a hole in their ship, I can only assume that Uxelt was the nearest place to them that could provide proper care to their ship. I told them they don’t have to worry, but in all honesty I don’t think they can fix it. The blow was great, it probably damaged some of the inner machinery, just from the recoil of my blow. And it’s an old ship, they’re gonna need all the help they can get if they wanted to repair their ship.” Seongkeum replied, and Seonghwa kept silent.

“Keum, this is dumb, how could they trust us enough for us to have the chance to see whether he is Jiyong or not? You blew a hole in their ship, and I tried to trail their captain and entered their ship uninvited, not to mention that they think I’ve been sent by the Council to go after them.” Seonghwa voiced his concerns, coming to the realisation that they didn’t really even have a plan to begin with.

“Hwa, just trust me. I’ll find a way, I always do; I’m Venus. If I can’t embody what it is to be a Venerian, charismatic and highly influential, then what kind of deity would I be? The Precursors would be disappointed in me if I couldn’t do even that.” Seongkeum assured. Seonghwa let out weary sigh.

Seongkeum was right. She always found a way, she always kept promises, she always kept the deities and her people happy. That’s why Venus was such a prosperous planet, it was even considered as the Premier planet by many. That’s why Seongkeum was so powerful. Seonghwa couldn’t help but trust his sister.

“Alright, Keum. I trust you.”

-

The damage the woman had done to Illusion was something no one in the crew were prepared to deal with.

The fire didn’t spread, just like the woman said, but with one look, and from the few worrying whirring noises they heard, Yunho and Mingi were sure that they wouldn’t be able to fix the vessel with the tools they had on board. They had to dock somewhere, and quick, before the ship gave up on them.

It was a scramble to set course and then command the ship towards somewhere they could dock. Their first choice was to get to Saturn, where they could definitely be provided the best facilities and get their ship fixed, but Saturn was too far from where they were, so they settled for Uxelt, Saturn’s nearest colony.

It still took them three days to even see Uxelt in the distance, when they probably could have gotten there in two days. But they couldn’t do much, not with a gaping hole in Illusion.

They would have been able to dock, too, if it weren’t for the ship that abruptly cut in front of them, and Mingi and Yunho had to scramble to the controls to prevent the two vessels from crashing into each other. Upon closer inspection, they recognised the ship as the same one that the woman that was the cause of their predicament in the first place.

Hongjoong groaned. “What do they want _now_.”

“I don’t know, but they don’t seem like they’re planning to blow another hole in the ship. At least I hope they don’t.” Yunho replied.

“I don’t think a Ranger would be so petty to come back to a failed mission and basically destroy said mission.” Yeosang said.

Suddenly, the ship’s communicator gave off a beep.

“Are they really trying to contact us.” Wooyoung more deadpanned than asked.

“Well, we can’t really do anything right now. They’re not being hostile right now so if we attack, especially near a planet, _we’re_ the ones that are gonna get in trouble. I say we just answer.” Mingi provided. Another beep.

“What, no! They blew a hole in our ship, they don’t deserve to have conversation with us.” Wooyoung retaliated.

“What do you say, captain?” Yunho suddenly cut in, knowing that now was not a good time for an argument to erupt. Hongjoong sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Another beep.

“Just answer. We’re cornered anyway.” Hongjoong gave his command, and Jongho, closest to the communicator, accepted the communication.

“Thank you for accepting the call, space pirates.” The woman’s voice rang clear from the communicator.

“What do you want.” Jongho said rather than asked, and Hongjoong made his way towards the communicator.

“No need to be so hostile, we’re just here to offer you a deal.” The woman replied.

“And what type of deal is that?” Hongjoong asked.

“I know I said that you shouldn’t have to worry about your ship when we left you in your predicament, but in all honesty, you _should_ be worrying. Your ship is old, and even if Uxelt has the correct people and correct facilities to repair your ship, it’s gonna cost you more than any treasure you have found thus far.” The woman explained.

“So, I offer my own vessel to house your crew and for it to be used however you wish. I also heard you have a special map on your person, so I also offer you my knowledge of how that map works. The only thing we want in return if that we follow you wherever your next adventure brings you.” The woman offered.

“Listen lady, what makes you think we’ll say yes to such a vague offer? You blew a hole in our ship!” Wooyoung hollered. The woman simply laughed.

“Stop being so angsty, Uranian. I think this offer benefits you more than it benefits us. We just simply ask to be brought with you on your adventures.” The woman replied.

“Why would a ranger and his sister want to go on an adventure with pirates? How badly does the Council want this map thing back for them to ask you two to basically rendezvous with us?” Hongjoong asked.

“We’re on no mission, captain. And trust me, the Council wouldn’t want that Map, they don’t even know it exists.” The woman replied. “Did you guys even think about who we are yet?” The woman asked.

“Hwaseong and Keumseong, right? The deities.” San suddenly spoke up from the back, confusing the crew and eliciting a happy laugh from the woman on the other end of the communicator. _Oh, right, the woman was named Seongkeum._ Hongjoong thought to himself.

“It’s great to hear that someone still thinks we’re real!” Seongkeum guffawed.

“Deities? As in the Planetary Deities?” Mingi questioned San, who nodded.

“Aren’t they just myths? Legends told to entertain children?” Yunho questioned San, who simply shrugged.

“I’m not old enough to say, but stories about the deities are told rampantly back in KHARAA.” San replied.

“Are you guys on drugs or something? Deities?” Wooyoung asked, question directed towards the two at the other end of the communicator, and they heard the woman laugh once more.

“No, we’re perfectly sober. I’m sure you would know, dear Wooyoung.” The woman said, and the crew froze in surprise. She knew about Wooyoung? What else did she know?

“Do you really think a normal mortal could really blow such a clean hole in a metal ship without the use of weapons?” Seongkeum replied. “Listen, we really don’t have much time. I suspect your ship to give up on you any minute now, and I am literally offering you guys safety. Could you just accept or reject the offer already?” She rushed.

“You know how to operate the Map?” Hongjoong asked a beat later.

“Of course I do. It’s deity tech.” Seongkeum affirmed.

“Then I accept your offer.” Hongjoong replied, slightly shocking his crew.

“Captain!” Wooyoung and Yunho called in disagreement.

“They’re offering to keep us safe, teach us how to use tech no one else has seen before, and also basically offering us a new ship. It’s a hard offer to decline.” Hongjoong explained.

“Well then, that’s great! I suggest you guys quickly pack all your essentials and anything valuable, be it treasure or a personal belonging, and don’t forget about the Map. Seonghwa will make sure you guys have oxygen to breathe once you step out of your oxygen field, as well as a bridge to get you guys across. I give it around 15 minutes before your ship fails and the oxygen field falls.” Seongkeum explained, and immediately ended the call. From where the crew was, they saw the woman’s ship fly closer, and suddenly the metal of the Illusion where the woman’s ship was nearing started to move on its own, forming a stable-enough looking bridge.

The crew quickly snapped out of their awe and confusion, and made haste to pack their belongings.

It was hard to leave Illusion, since it was the ship the crew had been using all along. It was hard to not have an attachment to it. Hongjoong was the last to get onto the make-shift bridge, looking back at the ship he loved, before he crossed over, just a second before the Illusion shut down, the oxygen field receding to nothing. Once Hongjoong had safely crossed over, the make-shift bridge receded as well, the metal bending back to their original shapes.

The woman was already in the courtyard that acted as her ship’s deck when the pirate crew were preparing to cross the bridge.

“Welcome to my ship, the Starlight.” Seongkeum greeted, Seonghwa behind her. “I’ll give you a whole tour later, but for now, let’s head to the bridge so that I can show you how to use that map of yours.” Seongkeum said, “Come, follow me.” She commanded, beckoning for them to follow her. The crew begrudgingly followed.

Once in the bridge, both Yunho and Mingi looked around in awe. The machinery in Seongkeum’s bridge looked both old and new at the same time, they couldn’t be sure, but what they were sure of was that they didn’t know how most things worked.

“I’ll teach everyone how to operate the ship later as well, but for now,” Seongkeum turned her attention to the captain. “The Map, please.” Seongkeum requested, her hand stretched out, palm open. Hongjoong took out the spheroid from his pocket, and gave it to the woman. “Thank you.” Seongkeum said, then walked towards her’s and Seonghwa’s map.

Seongkeum hovered a cupped hand above the map, and then ‘closed’ the lid. The mount elevated itself again once the map was closed, and Seongkeum placed the new spheroid together with the other two, and now the three revolved around the mount. Seongkeum ‘pushed’ down the mount, and it lowered and retracted, once again beaming up the hologram map. There were much more twinkling lights now. The pirate crew stared in awe at how easy the map cooperated with the woman.

“Okay, so, the most important thing I ought to tell you, is what the purpose of the map is.” Seongkeum said. “The first thing you need to know is that it was made by the Saturn deity, you mortals probably know him as Ravi, made it for the deities. It’s not only a Map, it is also a communication device. Ravi made it so that it isn’t easy for anyone else other than the deities to operate it, so that’s why you found it so hard to crack.” Seongkeum started.

“The Map caters what it shows according to its user. The lights are points of interests. My map, for example, keeps track of the health of Venus, as well as tracks where Seonghwa is at all times. This map that you found caters to what you want, so I’m sure it’s safe to assume that all of these lights,” Seongkeum gestured at the expanse of the map in front of her and the noticeably more twinkling lights, “Are probably all treasure, in some shape or form.”

“Now, how to use it,” Seongkeum moved on, “The map isn’t just static, obviously, what you’re seeing here is just where you are in the galaxy and everything relatively near it.” Seongkeum explained. “But of course, you can see more,” Seongkeum said, swiping at the globe and it rotated slowly, following to her finger.

The crew stared in awe. “H-how did you do that? Whenever I tried, I couldn’t get the globe to rotate.” Hongjoong spluttered. Seongkeum smirked.

“That’s the trick; to navigate the Map, you must think about navigating it, and your intent must be clear. The reason why the Map didn’t rotate for you, is probably because you were thinking of just making the map _move._ That won’t work.” Seongkeum replied. “The Map also has other functions, but for now, let’s leave it at that. Anything else, you can learn later.” Seongkeum ended, and then looked up at the nine clocks hung in her bridge, each clock labelled with the planets they serve, plaques situated above the clocks. “It’s getting pretty late across most planets, I assume that you guys had some form of keeping ‘time’ on your journeys, and have some sort of bedtime. We will show you your cabins so that you can get settled for the night. You are free to explore Starlight if you wish, if you don’t feel tired quite yet.” Seongkeum said as she walked away from her map, Seonghwa following behind her closely. “Follow me.” She gestured, and the pirate crew hauled their bags over their shoulders and trailed after the woman.

The cabins were only a five-minute walk from where the bridge was situated, and there were four cabins in total, not including the captain’s cabin and also Seonghwa’s cabin. “These are the cabins, each cabin can accommodate two people. My cabin and Seonghwa’s cabin are situated over there, at the end of the hall,” Seongkeum pointed towards the door at the end, “And the washrooms are adjacent to Seonghwa’s cabin.” Seongkeum explained. “Tomorrow, we’ll show you around the ship more. For now, we’ll leave you to your own devices. Seonghwa and I will be in the bridge if you need us. Have a nice sleep.” Seongkeum bid, and then both she and Seonghwa walked out of the hallway, and towards the bridge.

The pirate crew quickly settled themselves, pairing up with their usual cabin mates; Yunho and Mingi, Yeosang and Wooyoung, San and Jongho, and finally Hongjoong by himself. Once they were all settled, it seemed that everyone had the same plan, because the rest of the crew found themselves piling into the cabin Hongjoong was using.

“Captain, can we really trust those two? I mean, _deities_? I think they’re more like lunatics.” Wooyoung questioned.

“I wouldn’t say they’re lunatics, but I do agree with Wooyoung. The deities are simply myths, are we about to trust them?” Yunho asked right after.

“I’m not entirely sure if the deities truly are just myths.” Jongho said at the side. “The gem kind, many of us are ancient. Of course, CORA 2R is one of the relatively newer Mercurian colonies, so we don’t have a lot of ancient gems in the planet, but I’ve always been told of stories of Our deity Paragon ever since I emerged. Some say they even lived in the same time as Paragon did, before they ultimately vanished. The ancient ones like to talk about Paragon a lot.” Jongho told, and San nodded from beside him.

“Mermaids aren’t immortal like the gem kind, but we do live relatively long. I have also heard many stories of the deities.” San added.

“But still, aren’t those just myths? Stories?” Yeosang asked.

“I mean, I like to think that they aren’t just stories. My grandmother thinks very highly of the deities, even though KHARAA doesn’t have its own.” San replied.

“But, they knew how to use that weird map thing. I think even if they weren’t deities, they’re bigger than we think they are.” Mingi piped in.

“Wait, we’re getting sidetracked.” Yunho gently intervened. “Hongjoong, can we trust them?” The Saturnian asked.

“I believe them.” Hongjoong replied shortly, taking the crew by surprise.

“You believe in the deities? I never pegged you as the type, captain.” Yeosang questioned.

“My family descended from Earth humans before they had to migrate to Mars because of the catastrophe that befell Earth,” Hongjoong explained. “My family has always taught us to have a strong belief in the deities, and to never, ever harm the planets, because the deities would suffer and get angry if we did. Why do you think I tell you guys to always be respectful when we go plundering?” Hongjoong asked, slightly bemused by some of his crew’s slightly shocked faces.

“I honestly thought you were just a really spiritual guy and didn’t wanna disturb any spirits.” Mingi commented, making the crew laugh.

“Mingi, that’s you, you scaredy-cat.” San jabbed playfully, causing Wooyoung to burst out laughing even harder.

“Funny how you called him a ‘scaredy-cat’ when he’s literally a dog hybrid.” Wooyoung commented, making the crew laugh harder at the realisation.

“Anyway, yes, I do believe in the deities. I always have. They always fascinated me ever since I was young.” Hongjoong affirmed once the laughter had settled down.

“And also, this deal really is more beneficial to us that it is to them. I don’t know what ulterior motives they have, but it can’t be anything too bad. I don’t think they would murder us for no reason, they just don’t seem like the type.” Hongjoong added.

“Anyway, I know for a fact that it’s getting late, kids,” Hongjoong teased, “So you lot should go to sleep.” Hongjoong reminded.

“What about you, Hongjoong? You should go to sleep, too.” Jongho suggested as they all stood up, and Hongjoong nodded his head.

“I will, but I’m planning to play around with the map first. I just learned how to use it, I’m itching to give it a try.” Hongjoong stood up. “Now go and get rest, you heathens.” Hongjoong shooed everyone out of his cabin, closing the door once they were all out, and heading towards the bridge when they all entered their respective cabins.

Hongjoong was expecting both deities to be present in the bridge, but when he opened the door and stepped inside, he was greeted by only Seonghwa, who was standing over the Map and observing it.

Seonghwa looked up at the sound of the door opening, and his eyes widened slightly when they fell on Hongjoong. _He was here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might take a while for the next chapter to be up bc i'm still polishing it, but i hope you guys enjoy this while i work on it xoxo


	3. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa treats Hongjoong to a small history lesson, and Hongjoong introduces his crew to Seonghwa in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is lengthy because it's seonghwa talking about the deities' creation and hongjoong talking about ateez. it's mainly a filler chapter, but i do feel that it is important for world building. sorry if it gets too draggy.

“I wasn’t expecting to see only you.” Hongjoong spoke up. “Where did Seongkeum go?” Hongjoong asked.

Seonghwa took a gulp, and simply pointed over to the room across the bridge. “In her office.” Seonghwa replied plainly, hoping his voice didn’t shake too much.

“Are you always this quiet, officer? I think this is the first time I heard you speak ever since my crew came on board.” Hongjoong asked the blonde man.

“When I’m with Seongkeum, yes. She naturally commands everyone’s attention when she speaks, it’s usually easier to just let her speak for the both of us.” Seonghwa replied. _You’re the same._ Seonghwa thought. “Also, please, call me Seonghwa. It’s easier.” Seonghwa requested, and Hongjoong nodded, heading over to the Map.

“I’ve been itching to give this thing a try.” Hongjoong explained, and Seonghwa stepped away slightly.

“Please, be my guest.” Seonghwa replied, gesturing to the map. Hongjoong stared at the half-dome for a few beats, eyes sparkling with awe, before he gave it a hand. He hovered his hand over the dome for a second, before he decided he really wanted to see more of the universe. Tentatively, he ‘pressed’ his pointer finger down on the dome, and moved it slowly, letting out an amazed ‘woah’ when he saw that the map finally complied to his wishes after weeks of trying to figure it out. Seonghwa couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“You don’t have to be so amused, it doesn’t really do much other than act as a GPS tracker.” Seonghwa commented, pretty much desensitised to the Map after having used it for so long. Wonshik had made it when the deities were only a few decades old, and they were all pushing a millennium now.

“Yeah, but like, a really high-class, futuristic GPS tracker.” Hongjoong replied. “I would love to know the inner workings of this thing, and I’m sure Yunho and Mingi would too.” Hongjoong added.

“The Saturnian and the Plutonian?” Seonghwa questioned, recalling the cyborg and the red-haired dog-hybrid. Hongjoong nodded, not taking his eyes off of the dome.

“Well, no one other than Wonshik really knows how they work. He made them, and they work splendidly. We don’t really see the need in asking him _how_ or _why_ it works. The deities have learnt not to ask Wonshik how the stuff he makes works, he goes off on a tangent and no one really understands him. We’re not all as technologically adept as he thinks we are.” Seonghwa explained.

“Do you think he would be willing to explain if we asked?” Hongjoong asked, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but laugh at the question, it was so pure, so child-like.

“Wonshik is one of the more welcoming deities, and he loves talking about technology and inventing with anyone who is willing to learn and listen, and just converse. I’m sure if you ever meet him, he’d be happy to talk.” Seonghwa assured.

“I’m surprised that you’re taking all this deity thing so easily.” Seonghwa brought up, and Hongjoong looked up from the dome and faced the deity, giving his attention to Seonghwa. “We hid and masqueraded for centuries, with the intent of making the mortals forget about us. I expected you to be more sceptical, not accepting.”

“My family descended from Earth humans who made sure that the story of the deities was safely passed on to the next generation, and the next, _and_ _the next_. My ancestors experienced the collapse of their home, and I think they just don’t want anyone else to go through what they went through.” Hongjoong explained, and Seonghwa felt his chest tightening and emotions threatening to spill at the mention of Earth.

“Of course, with each new generation, the more people chose not to believe that the deities were more than just myths that we were told as children, either to scare us or entertain us. But, I figured I would believe my parents, and my grandparents, _and_ my ancestors. If they bothered to keep telling the story generation after generation, then it’s worth believing, not matter how foolish it seemed.” Hongjoong divulged. “And well, I guess it really was worth it, because now I know that the deities really do exist. I’m even in a ship owned by one, and in the company of two.” Hongjoong chuckled.

“We exist, indeed.” Seonghwa assured.

“Tell me about the deities.” Hongjoong suddenly requested, and Seonghwa raised a questioning eyebrow.

“What do you wish to know?” Seonghwa asked.

“Everything.” Hongjoong replied simply. Seonghwa took a deep breath.

“Well, there really isn’t much to us past face value. We’re the sentient embodiment of the major planets, so there were nine of us.” Seonghwa had to keep the lump in his throat down at _‘were’_ , “We ensure that the planets are healthy, that no one harms the planets too much. Our lifeforce, and power, is directly linked to our planets; the healthier and more prosperous it is, the healthier and stronger we are. The more it is abused and the less is thrives, the weaker and closer to death we are.” Seonghwa explained. “At least, that’s what we do now.”

“What do you mean ‘now’?” Hongjoong asked.

“When we were made by our creators, the now-extinct Precursor race, almost a millennia ago, we were made to help govern all species of life and help them all coexist, acting as traditional Gods. When we were introduced, the original humans were already aware of alien life, so we deities were simply regarded as aliens of higher powers at first. Not everyone easily accepted us as ‘Gods’ at first, and of those who did, they tried to take advantage of our powers and use us to their own gains. We dealt with all of that fairly quickly, and put greedy beings into their place right away.” Seonghwa started, voice serious. “But, after that, majority accepted us as their deities and happily allowed us to lead them. We were, after all, the easiest way to create diplomatic ties between planets and species. I would say everything was rather calm, peaceful, and prosperous for the next couple of centuries. It was quite the happy time.” Seonghwa allowed himself to smile, before it fell almost right away.

“But then, Earth fell, along with their deity.” Seonghwa’s emotions kept threatening to spill, “And we, the remaining deities, decided to punish the mortals by disappearing on them, by going into the shadows. We hid for a good century and then a few, in a different galaxy, monitoring our planets through our Maps.” Seonghwa explained. “That century was one of the most chaotic times ever since we deities were created, because the different races were still learning how to co-exist, and diplomacy was practiced only between deities on behalf of their planet and their locals. It was the natural thing to do, communication was easier between deities than it was between different species. But, with us gone, no one really knew how to properly be a diplomat.” Seonghwa continued. “Furthermore, the Earth humans were trying to find somewhere to settle. Some settled in Saturn, some in Jupiter, some in other planets, but most settled in either Mars or Venus, because at the time, though the deities had already terraformed their planets to support the fragile human life, Mars and Venus were the easiest to get acclimated to, the other planets still a bit difficult for humans to survive on.” Seonghwa explained.

“Believe me when I say, the situation was so bad a few wars almost started, and one or two _actually_ did start. But I’m sure you’ve learnt about them in your schools.” Seonghwa revealed. “Wonshik, or _Ravi_ , and Sowon, Jupiter’s deity that most mortals know as _Hera_ , were always itching to come out of the shadows and stop the war and fighting and miscommunication. But the rest of us stopped them, bitter that the mortals allowed a deity to fall.” Seonghwa told, the slightest hint of bitterness present in his voice. “Long story short, there were many casualties before someone finally learnt how diplomacy actually worked, and the fighting stopped and different species forgave each other in due time, and finally, the mortals were learning how to co-exist. We deities moved back into our galaxy after an additional two centuries away, when we were sure most who personally knew of our existence had passed, but half of us still strictly stayed in the shadows and outside of their planets, hiding somewhere in the galaxy. The other half, namely me, Seongkeum, Chris – Mercury’s deity Paragon – and Sowon started to slowly ‘infiltrate’ our planets and masqueraded as mortals, save for Sowon, to keep a close eye on our planets. And that’s how were arrived at present time.” Seonghwa finished, and Hongjoong hummed to show that he was still interested in the conversation.

“Could you tell me more about the deities as personalities?” Hongjoong asked, and Seonghwa allowed himself to chuckle.

“You are very curious, aren’t you?” Seonghwa asked, amused.

“Of course! My whole life, I’ve been told stories of the mighty Deities of the Planets. Those stories are like tradition in my family, I think almost anyone in my family would give anything to be in my position.” Hongjoong replied.

“I will happily share with you anything that I am comfortable sharing, and that I have the right to. But, on the condition that you tell me about yourself and your crew first. I think it is only fair, since I too am sharing details about my family.” Seonghwa said, and Hongjoong nodded eagerly.

“Of course, it is only fair. What do you wish to know first?” Hongjoong asked.

“Why did you choose to be a pirate?” Seonghwa asked straight away. Hongjoong took a breath.

“There’s no special reason, really. As a kid, I’ve always been fascinated by the universe and have always wanted to explore it. So, when the opportunity presented itself to me in the form of an old, crashed, and abandoned ship called the Illusion that was left to rot in Mars, I took it.” Hongjoong smiled. “I managed to somehow fix it up with the help of a mechanic friend of mine back in Mars, enough for it to fly and be stable for a good three days at least. And then I went back home, packed most of my belongings and bid my family back in Mars goodbye, and then just took off.” Hongjoong explained. “The treasure was just a perk that came along with the adventures. And, well, the con of also being a small-time outlaw. But we never really stole anything that explicitly belonged to anyone, might have broken a few intergalactic laws here and there, but we never committed any big crimes.” Heongjoong joked, leaning against the frame of the Maps’ holder.

“Your family was alright with you just going off like that?” Seonghwa asked, and Hongjoong nodded.

“Well, not immediately, of course. But my family believes in finding your own happiness. And if it meant that you had to be a space pirate, then I guess most of us are alright. Just don’t kill a man and you’ll be on everyone’s good books. I still visit them every once in a while, anyway.” Hongjoong laughed, and Seonghwa’s breath hitched slightly, inaudibly. _He even sounded like him_.

“How about your crew? How did you find them?” Seonghwa asked a beat later.

“Well, Yunho came first. The Illusion was old, but not so old that it was ancient. Just old enough to be in dire need of proper upgrading and maintaining, and also thankfully be fascinating to Yunho. The Illusion caught his eye on my first ever stop in Saturn, and somehow I managed to rope him into coming along.” Hongjoong explained.

“Then came San, the merman. Yunho and I met him in his home planet, KHARAA.” Seonghwa remembers the merman being the one with silver hair on top and blue hair beneath, which the small merman liked to put in a mini side braid. “He was the first one who called us ‘space pirates’, and Yunho and I just said that we were, since it sounded more exciting than simply voyagers. He asked if he could join our crew, said he wanted to explore and have fun in something that wasn’t water, so we said yes and invited him in our crew. And hence, two became three.” Hongjoong said.

“And then came Mingi. Yunho was the one that found him, in Pluto. He liked adventure too, and had a knack for maintaining and repairing machinery thanks to his amazing sense of smell, so that made four.” Seonghwa came to remember the red-haired male that had brown pointed dog ears poking out of the sea of red, “And after him came Yeosang and Wooyoung, whose stories aren’t really mine to tell, since they have more sensitive stories. Just know that they are both from Uranus and are childhood friends, and that both of them have broken Uranian law. But they aren’t evil criminals. If anything, I would call them Robin Hoods, or at least misunderstood.” Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa nodded, respecting that that information was somewhat confidential. Seonghwa could recall the pair as the two purple ones with pointy ears, the tell-tale signs of being a Uranian. If he could remember correctly, Yeosang was the one with a blemish ( _a scar maybe? Or a birthmark_ ) at the corner of his eye and had ash brown hair. Wooyoung was the one with silver-ish purple hair, and his purple skin was just a tad bit darker than Yeosang’s.

“And finally, we have Jongho. Evidently by the Jadeite gem on his arm, he’s a gem kind. He’s a pretty young gem, he said it had only been 19 years since he emerged.” Seonghwa recalled the green-haired gem. “Apparently, though jadeites are very strong, they have become quite rare in recent times because of a lack of resources. So, he was treated as a pseudo-gem-royalty, but he hated that. He wanted to be free and do all the amazing things the Diamonds said he could, but was too precious to attempt. So, he somehow managed to escape the Diamonds and ran away, and made the decision to go by ‘he/him’ to create a whole new identity he chose for himself. We found him by chance soon after he broke free, and took him in.” Hongjoong said. “And all together, all seven of us make Ateez.” Hongjoong smiled a wide, dazzling smile. If he had one, Seonghwa was sure he would have felt his heart skip a beat.

“If you want to find out even more about my kids, you have to ask them yourself. That’s all the information I can give you.” Hongjoong said, smiling fondly.

“It’s alright, it’s plenty enough information. Thank you for telling me about your crew.” Seonghwa said, and Hongjoong shook his head.

“No need for thanks, like I said, it is only fair. Besides, I love talking about my family.” Hongjoong said. “Now, tell me about the deities’ personalities.” Hongjoong urged excitedly, and Seonghwa chuckled at the child-like excitement.

“Well, I guess I should start off with just a little about myself.” Seonghwa started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dw guys i'm not giving up on this story i have just been going Through It for the past few months, and also got pretty busy with a film i was involved in (i'm part in the audio team, both for production and post) and also final submissions/exams.
> 
> the next chapter should be up pretty soon, evidently it will be seonghwa introducing us to the other deities in more detail. i have most of it ready. its literally just him talking about the deities, but i still need to work on it a little more. it is going to be on the shorter side, and just a general update: i'm involved in another film, and final mix is due around the end of next month. i don't know how much time (if any) i have to finish writing the chapter after the next, so that chapter might take longer to come out.
> 
> thank you for reading this chapter, and i hope you enjoyed it and this story so far!


	4. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to know more about the deities.

“Well, I guess I should start off with just a little about myself.” Seonghwa started. “As the deity or Mars, the sentient embodiment of it, I have the power to control metals and wind. I am sure you are aware, but the planet Mars is rather well off. It is a hub, a meeting place for many species. Our inhabitants are diverse, and inter-species relationships are rather healthy.” Seonghwa explained. “As I mentioned, our lifeforce and power is directly linked to our planet, so with how healthy Mars is, I am the second strongest deity, second to only Venus.” Seonghwa said.

“Seongkeum is the deity of Venus, and I am sure that it is common knowledge throughout the galaxy that the planet Venus is very prosperous. It is the perfect mix of beautiful sandy deserts, and thick, lush greenery. It even has its mountainous regions, and most of its volcanoes aren’t active. It’s never too hot, never too cold, and it rains just the right amount and almost always at the exact same period. An ideal place for rest and relaxation.” Seonghwa said, and Hongjoong nodded. Venus was regarded as a premier planet; beings either considered it the perfect place for a getaway, or a dream planet to reside in. “As such, Seongkeum is the strongest out of us deities. Her powers are the greatest, and she is the healthiest amongst us. She has the power of fire and light.” Seonghwa explained. “You will be travelling with us from now on, so I do foresee that you will learn about us as personalities sooner or later. I’ll leave the discovering part to you and your crew, I can’t just give everything to you on a silver platter.” Seonghwa replied, slightly playfully.

“Following us is Sowon, or Hera, deity of Jupiter. Jupiter is huge and has numerous moons, and numerous colonies. For such a massive planet that has so much diversity residing in it, Sowon does a very good job at keeping her planet and inhabitants happy. Sowon actually found out how to create sentient beings out of her moons just by studying the Precursors’ research and reports. She has, so far, given sentient life to five of her moons, which are actually the court of Jupiter. Apart from that, Sowon also has the power of storm.” Seonghwa explained, and Hongjoong nodded a little dumbfoundedly. He never expected the court of Jupiter to be made out of immortals.

“Sowon, as a being, is very kind and motherly. Like I mentioned before, she and Wonshik were the ones that wanted to end the fighting between the species. She wants what is best for everyone she cares about, and that is a great deal of beings. She is like a mother to us, Seongkeum specially likes to go to her when she feels like talking about… _Earth_.” Seonghwa said, hesitating a little in saying the planet. “Seongkeum doesn’t want me to know that she also still feels the sting of Earth’s fall and that she sometimes grieves for him too. But I know that she knows that I’m aware. She’s just being courteous of me.” Seonghwa said, “But let’s move on from such a depressing topic, shall we?” Seonghwa said, quickly changing the topic.

“After Sowon, is Chris, _Paragon_ , deity of Mercury. Mercury itself is small and very close to the sun, so not many species like to inhabit the planet itself. The gem kind thrive on it, of course, because they mainly rely on light to keep their life. But, Mercury also has numerous colonies, I would say that it’s colony count is almost as high as Jupiter’s moon count. Chris, other than having the powers a normal gem has like changing his form at will, has the ability to control electricity. His skill with the power is quite potent, he can easily destabilise a gem and make them retreat back into their gem. His powers also go even further than being able to destabilise a gem, but he isn’t comfortable with talking about that fact, so I’ll leave exactly how potent his electric powers are to your imagination.” Seonghwa started.

“Chris himself is every single bit a leader. He loves all his gems and inhabitants with everything he has. He doesn’t want us to know, but he’s always concerned about not being enough for his planet. That’s why he chose to masquerade as a Citrine, because Citrines are often given the task of guarding something. Chris just wants everyone to be safe and happy.” Seonghwa explained. “Chris also has a rather tender side to him. He’s been together with a Sunstone for quite some time now, to the point that the Sunstone knows about him being Paragon, and about the existence of us deities. Before you and your crew, they were the only one that knew about us, apart from the ancient gems. But the ancient gems don’t talk about the deities as reality much, we think Chris has something to do with that fact.” Seonghwa said.

“Next up is Wonshik, or aforementioned, Ravi, Saturn’s deity. I’m sure you’re aware as well, but Saturn is the planet of technology. Almost all its inhabitants turn have something cybertronic enhancements done to them, in some shape or form, like how Yunho’s arms are cybertronic. Wonshik himself is actually made up of mostly metal.” Seonghwa shared. “Wonshik also was very, very smart. It is an indispensable power to have. He knew how machines worked with a single glance, and could invent things like it was nothing. Like Seongkeum mentioned earlier, he made the Maps for us deities. He was also the one to erect Saturn’s biggest and oldest research and development facilities. You could say that Saturn is only operable now because of him.” Seonghwa explained. “I’m also assuming I don’t have to explain about the planet itself too much, I’m sure you and your crew have been on the planet a number of times to get your previous ship maintained.” Seonghwa said, Hongjoong nodding silently in answer.

“Now, as for Wonshik himself. If Sowon was the mother amongst the deities, Wonshik was the father. He was strict when he had to be, in the form of being realistic with us deities. Because sometimes, because we are deities, we think that nothing can touch us, that nothing can harm us, and we can do the impossible. But, Wonshik was always there to remind us that even if we are deities, there are still things out of our control.” Seonghwa explained, recalling the previous deity conference call. “But, don’t get me wrong, he was also gentle. He is tender to his core, in all honestly, and almost always made sure that his beings were treated properly, until now. He also made sure that no one ever took advantage of the technology and knowledge he blessed Saturn with, because he knew it was dangerous in the wrong person’s hands.”

“And then, we have Neptune and Uranus, the twin Ice Giants, as the old humans liked to call them. Daeryoung and Soryoung are both very alike and are exactly like that; icy. They’re rather distant and aren’t at all very friendly, but that’s just how they were made. They aren’t mean or anything, they are never rude. Both of them are just rather frank and logical. We know they care about their inhabitants, as well as us deities, through their actions. They keep rather vigilant watch over their planets, and almost every single notable inhabitant.” Seonghwa explained. “Which is why, both Seongkeum and I know about your Uranian duo. Of course, we don’t know their stories in-depth, don’t worry about that. The twins know about every notable inhabitant, but not their deepest secrets. The deities just know about Wooyoung and Yeosang because their names have come up in conversation a couple of time.” Seonghwa reassured. “Neptune and Uranus, as you should know, are rather hostile environments, Uranus especially with it’s high toxicity levels. It’s not easy for many other species to settle in either Uranus or Neptune, which is why they aren’t as powerful as the others.”

“And finally, we have Jihoon, or known as Woozi, Pluto’s deity. Pluto is tiny, and so is Jihoon in deity standards, and very far from our sun. The old humans even removed the planet from the list of major planets at some point, and then put it back years later. Its small body is exactly why Jihoon is considered the ‘weakest’ deity. Like all Plutonians, Jihoon is a shifter. But Jihoon’s powers are stronger, he can shift between full ‘human’ form and any animal, even those that are mythical, as long as he has an idea of what that animal is.” Seonghwa said.

“Jihoon, as a being, is rather bitter. He is the one that most outwardly shows his distaste for the mortals because of all they’ve done to Earth, and the potential for them to do so to all the other planets. He says that it’s because Pluto was, in a way, mistreated and disregarded way before we deities even existed.” Seonghwa said. “But we deities think that it’s because he, in fact, has a rather big heart and feels for others deeply, so he holds the anger that the other deities don’t allow themselves to.” He joked lightly.

“Well then, that’s all of us.” Seonghwa finished. “Of course, while there is a hierarchy of power within us, all of us are still extremely powerful and can’t really be compared to the mortals or most of your weapons and technological advancements. So, I suggest you not anger any deities.” Seonghwa said, half serious and half joking.

“I’ll make sure that neither me nor any of my crew angers any of you, especially the more sceptical ones like Yunho and Wooyoung.” Hongjoong replied, half joking and mostly serious, chuckling nervously.

“You don’t really have to worry, Jihoon and the twins are the ones that are more likely to actually hurt mortals, but they like to keep their interactions with mortals at the minimum, so you’re all safe.” Seonghwa replied teasingly, only making Hongjoong chuckle more nervously. The deity was hard to read, but Hongjoong was sure that he should take everything he, or _any_ deity for that matter, with at least a little bit of seriousness.

Hongjoong allowed silence to fill the air, and Seonghwa simply observed him. Hongjoong was itching to ask about the last deity; Earth, the fallen one, but he wasn’t sure if it would be alright to ask. The Earth deity was obviously very dear to the Mars deity, and he definitely knew a lot about the fallen deity, but it was also painfully obvious that the topic was difficult for the blonde deity to talk about.

“You look like you have more questions that you want to ask,” Seonghwa commented, “So why not just ask?” Seonghwa questioned. Hongjoong opened his mouth to speak, only to close it almost immediately, pressing his lips in a thin line, pondering.

But it wasn’t long before Hongjoong decided _to hell with it_ and asked his question.

“Could you tell me about Earth?”

Seonghwa was taken aback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yet another short chapter but i hope yall enjoy it nonetheless. also we have a... situation. my laptop charger broke and that's where i do all my work and writing, and so do expect that the next chapter will take even longer to arrive because currently i can only do my writing on the family computer, which my parents use to do their own work. and with the whole COVID-19 situation, my parents are working from home a lot (rightfully so). obviously, i do not want to take time away from them because they have to do actual work, while this is just a hobby of mine (also i'm risking it all by signing in to my microsoft account on the family computer bc my family is rather conservative and very religious ahah my bisexual ass would get BEAT and thrown outta the house if my parents found out)
> 
> also, remember that the situation our world is facing now is very serious and should not be taken lightly. if it can be afforded, please stay home and only go out if it is essential, and always practice good personal hygiene. but always remember, in these times, taking care of yourself and making sure that you are healthy is taking care of others.


	5. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We discuss Earth.

“Could you tell me about Earth?”

Seonghwa would be lying if he said he didn’t expect the pirate to ask about _him_ , but the Mars deity was still taken aback nonetheless.

Seonghwa wished he could avoid the topic, but a deal was a deal. Hongjoong had told him about his family, the pirate even shared with him the Uranian duo’s story, obviously a rather confidential and maybe even a slightly touchy topic, even if it was simply just the most basic information. Seonghwa guessed it would be fair to tell the mortal at least a bit about Earth.

Seonghwa steeled himself, and took a deep breath.

“The planet, or the deity?”

“Both.”

“Earth… Was the most amazing personality I had the pleasure of knowing.” Seonghwa started off. “He had a heart of gold, caring to everyone around him and fought for his people as hard as he could, even to his last moments. He was very inquisitive, and always wanted to learn more about everything around him, asking questions like ‘How’ and ‘Why’ with almost child-like wander.” Seonghwa reminisced.

“Earth was one of the planet that had the most inhabitants, by far, before it fell. Everything started off fine, but the ancient humans became too greedy and dreamt too big of dreams without taking into consideration the damage they did to the planet they inhabited, and the only planet that was kind enough to them to allow them to survive in Her with barely any terraforming. The ancient humans fought wars, suffered pandemics created by their reckless actions, and generally mistreated the planet with all of the modern advancements they wanted to make. The humans were intelligent in their own right, but with all of that intelligence it’s a wonder how they lacked so much common sense and compassion. By the time Earth, the deity, was created the planet was one reckless step away from being apocalyptic.” Seonghwa chided.

“Though his planet was already weak, Earth steadily worked to getting it back to being stable. And it worked, for a while.” Seonghwa said, “many of the ancient humans at first didn’t believe in the deities, they all believed in different Gods, if any at all. But Earth brought dead vegetation back to life, he worked together with the handful of scientists and humans who cared enough about the planet to bring the planet’s health back up and right many of the wrongs the ancient humans did to the planet. And once more of the ancient humans saw that what Earth did was doing them good, they started to believe in him and became a little more conscious about what they did. Slowly, Earth the planet became better and it flourished once again, to the point that even foreign species’ came to the planet to appreciate it.” Seonghwa relayed.

“Earth, the deity, became stronger, he became even more powerful and mighty than any of us other deities. He stayed like that for decades, and we thought he would stay like that for forever because he worked so hard on and for his planet and people. Even Seongkeum, who was quickly becoming almost as powerful as Earth, couldn’t compare to his power. Earth did everything he did for his planet and people.” Seonghwa allowed a small, sad smile. “But, on the 100th year of what is called Earth’s most prosperous era, the most powerful humans reared their ugly heads and started to exponentially abuse the planet once more. They were jealous of the species’ and planets and how ‘advanced’ they seemed compared to Earth. They began to heavily industrialise the planet once again, not caring for the planet yet again. Pollution slowly but surely became rampant again, because these powerful humans were charismatic above all else and knew how to move their people and influence them. Earth still fought hard to keep everything in control and within balance. But over time, the deities saw how bad he and his planet became once again.” Sadness laced in Seonghwa’s voice. “The other deities offered to help, but Earth said no to all of them. He said that it was his duty to his planet and he would not allow any of us to burden ourselves with his problems when our own planets needed tending to. We could do nothing but watch as the planet’s temperatures and sea levels rise, as the ozone layer depleted, as greenery was replaced by buildings and hence reducing the oxygen production for the planet.” Seonghwa said.

“But, after a long decade of fighting for his planet and the people that selfishly tossed him aside, Earth lost. The planet reached it’s breaking point and literally started to tear apart.”

“It was a gradual process, of course, the planet suffered more and more each day. But the ‘end of the world’ can be pinpointed to a week. In that week, numerous powerful earthquakes hit numerous parts of the planet, and numerous tsunamis came about. And with all of the tectonic plate movements, volcanoes around the planet began erupting. Months prior to that week, the weather also became bad, with storms hitting countries strongly. There really was no other way to describe it other than apocalyptic.” Seonghwa said.

“But Earth, knowing full well that his planet was falling and he was soon to be felled, he made sure all of his inhabitants made it out safely. And once he knew everyone, or at least most, was out of his planet, only then did he allow himself to rest. And then he retreated into his tomb, where he had his final moments.”

“I was with him, you know.” Seonghwa said, feeling tears threatening to pool at his eyes. Hongjoong, who had stayed silent throughout the whole retelling of the tragedy, stayed as he was. He felt like Seonghwa wasn’t asking for a reply now.

“I was with him, held him in my arms as he slowly faded out of existence. It was painful to see, he was literally crumbling, as was his planet. Everything around us was rumbling, but all I could care about was the deity before me. Cracks appeared his skin, bits falling off as sand. He told me to leave before I got hurt,” Seonghwa said, “As if I _could_ get hurt.” Seonghwa scoffed sadly. Hongjoong felt like the Earth deity told Seonghwa then to leave before he got hurt _emotionally_ , rather than physically. Hongjoong also couldn't help but feel that the Earth deity was right in doing so.

“I cried and plead and held him as if my life depended on it, as if _his_ life depended on it. But we both knew that there was no undoing what was happening. So I guess, I just held him because deep down I knew it was going to be the last time I would ever be able to be with him physically.”

“He faded and fell in my arms, and I was a wreck sitting in the middle of Earth’s empty tomb. I knew that the tomb was probably going to collapse on top of me, and I was very willing to just let it happen. But before that could happen, Seongkeum burst into the tomb and dragged me out of there. She got me out and into Starlight and flew as the entrance to Earth’s tomb collapsed. As we flew away, I could only watch with tears streaming down my face and blurring my vision as the planet collapsed.” Seonghwa said, breathing in deeply, signalling the end of his retelling.

Seonghwa stayed silent, and Hongjoong allowed the silence to dominate for a minute or two. The story was heavy for both of them.

“Why don’t you say his name?” Hongjoong asked after a while, realising he never once heard a name from the blonde deity.

“It hurts too much to say his name. He was very dear to me.” Seonghwa replied.

“You two were close, then?” Hongjoong asked, and Seonghwa nodded.

“Were we ever.” Seonghwa smiled, small and sad. “We promised eternity to each other.” Seonghwa revealed, sadness swirling in his eyes. Hongjoong’s eyes widened slightly.

“You two married?” Hongjoong asked, bewildered that immortal, divine beings would involve themselves with each other so deeply.

“I guess you could say so, in a mortal context.” Seonghwa replied. “There was never a ceremony or anything as grand as that. We were just talking, he was telling me about human traditions, and weddings and marriages just came up as one of the topics he was speaking about. He was like a child, speaking with so much excitement about how ‘his humans’ loved each other so much that they would come together for as long as they lived.” Seonghwa chuckled, “And then, I guess I was fascinated, so I asked if marriage was required to spend forever with the one’s love. He said ‘no’, and then one thing led to another and suddenly we were promising eternity to each other and making up vows on the spot. No one even knew that we did that.” Seonghwa revealed. “It really was just a simple promise of eternity to each other.”

“But, obviously, he broke his vow, and now he’s gone.” Seonghwa said, voice very obviously laced with sadness. “I can’t blame him, though. Never. He fought hard for both himself – his planet – and his people. Perhaps, it was just what the universe planned for us.” Seonghwa smiled sadly.

“I don’t think the universe would be so cruel.” Hongjoong said immediately, slightly shocking Seonghwa at how fast the pirate answered.

“Hearing your story, I think that yes, maybe it was the universe’s plan to make the ancient humans suffer to teach them a lesson for what they did to their home.” Hongjoong began explaining. “Maybe, the destruction of their home was the universe’s way of teaching them the most impactful lesson it could. But, I don’t think the universe would punish you along with them. From the stories that my parents and grandparents told me, and from what I’ve heard from you, you haven’t done anything so bad as to have the universe punish you by taking away someone so dear to you.” Hongjoong said.

“Maybe, one day, the universe will give him back to you. But, it’s just that it hasn’t deemed it time yet. The universe can’t be so cruel, at least that’s what I believe.” Hongjoong finished, and Seonghwa just simply stared at him. The deity’s stare made Hongjoong embarrassed. Maybe he said too much.

“S-sorry, did I cross a line? I don’t mean to talk about something so dear to you so lightly.” Hongjoong apologised, and Seonghwa simply continued staring, honestly a little shocked and dumbfounded, before chuckling lightly.

_You even think like him._

“No, no. That wasn’t light. I just found it rather fascinating how highly you think of the universe and how much hope you have. I can tell that you bear no ill intentions.” Seonghwa assured. “I guess I should thank you, rather. For trying to give me hope and for trying to make me feel better.” Seonghwa thanked, and Hongjoong felt a small blush creep up his neck as he sheepishly rubbed that back of his head, too shy to say anything. Hongjoong then went back to experimenting with the map, Seonghwa just watching silently.

After a while, Hongjoong suddenly let out a yawn.

“It seems that you are getting tired. You should get some rest, Hongjoong. You have plenty of time to experiment and explore the Map on any other given day.” Seonghwa reminded.

“Yeah, I guess I do feel tired. I’ll head off to bed, then.” Hongjoong said, pushing himself off of the frame of the dome, and walked towards the door that led out of the bridge.

“Goodnight, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong turned around and greeted when he was at the door, taking Seonghwa slightly aback. He just hoped he didn’t make it too obvious.

“Goodnight, Hongjoong. May you have nothing but sweet dreams.” Seonghwa returned, nodding slightly. Hongjoong smiled widely, before he turned and left.

Seonghwa sighed, heart full yet heavy at the same time.

 _“There are many things to think about.”_ Seonghwa thought, heading towards Seongkeum’s office.

“Oh, Seonghwa. What brings you in here?” Seongkeum asked when Seonghwa entered her office, not looking up from the papers she was pouring over. When Seonghwa stayed still and quiet, only then did Seongkeum decide to look up. When she looked up, she saw tears flowing down Seonghwa’s face. Seongkeum stood up, alarmed, chair scraping against the stone floor. She rushed to Seonghwa’s side, slowly leading him to sit on the couch in her office.

“Seonghwa, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Seongkeum asked as she assisted Seonghwa, brows furrowed in concern. The question acted as a catalyst to Seonghwa’s tears, a soft, but painful cry ripping from Seonghw’s throat.

“S-Seongkeum…” Seonghwa heaved, his chest constricting painfully, tear-stained face buried in Seongkeum’s neck.

“Seonghwa, please, breathe. It soothes the body.” Seongkeum said, rubbing Seonghwa’s back lightly. “Speak only when you feel ready to.” Seongkeum instructed. And the two deities sat there in the Venus deity’s office, the Mars deity crying as his sister rubbed soothingly at his back. It took a while, but Seonghwa’s painful heaving and sobbing slowly turned into soft sniffles.

“H-he asked about him.” Seonghwa slowly started.

“What did he ask? What did you say?” Seongkeum asked, still rubbing Seonghwa’s back soothingly.

“H-he just asked about how he was like. I thought it would have been to just give him the basic information,” Seonghwa started, “B-but, Keum, i-it’s so hard. It’s so hard to just talk about him back when he was still with us.” Seonghwa heaved.

“I know, Hwa. I know it’s hard. Please breathe.” Seongkeum comforted him, worry slightly easing when he felt Seonghwa’s back rise as he breathed deeply.

“And, he really is just like him. Even the way they think is the same. Keum, are we sure that he’s gone?” Seonghwa asked, sad desperation in his voice. Seongkeum’s visibly deflated.

“Hwa, I can’t answer that. I wasn’t there when he fell, I wasn’t the one he faded in front of. But I will not give you any hope that he is still alive.” Seongkeum said, soft yet stern at the same time. Then, she separated Seonghwa from herself, taking him by the shoulders and looking at his eyes, face set. “It has been centuries, baby brother. If he was still around, he would come back to us by now. Seonghwa, I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to rub any salt into any of your wounds, but for the love of the Precursors, Seonghwa please stop willing for your loss to come back. It’s not healthy, Seonghwa. The bargain that you are playing presents you more loses than any wins.” Seongkeum reminded.

“I know, Keum. But it just… hurts so much. Like you’ve said, it’s been centuries and yet I’m still like this.” Seonghwa sniffed, looking down to his lap.

“I know, Hwa. The hurt that you feel, us other deities could never imagine what it must be like. We know how dear you two were to each other, we know you two had a bond so deep that even we other deities can’t possibly see the whole depth of it. But Seonghwa, that’s why we are so harsh on you on getting you to stop mourning. We can see it hurting you. Your life state might be completely fine, your powers might be exceedingly strong because of how your planet is being treated, but we can see it in your eyes, Hwa. It’s lost all the life and shine it used to once have.” Seongkeum explained, taking Seonghwa’s face in her hands. “You see, Seonghwa, mourning him is fine. Showing and expressing your grief is fine. But, after some time, it becomes torture if you allow yourself to continue and disallow yourself from ever moving on. Seonghwa, you need to let yourself accept the loss, there’s only so much urging we can do.” Seongkeum reminded, gently rubbing Seonghwa’s cheek with her thumb. “And we all owe it to Jiyong to take care of you and make sure that you are alright. It’s the least we can do for him, Seonghwa.”

Silence settled between the two deities for a minute or two, Seongkeum just observing the blonde deity.

“Baby brother, I can see you tearing yourself apart.” Seongkeum said, moving her hands from Seonghwa’s face and moving them to his shoulders. “For now, sleep on it. I know that you are drained, and I think the best thing for your thoughts right now is a rest.” Seongkeum said, and Seonghwa nodded. Seongkeum removed her hands from Seonghwa’s shoulders, helping the blonde deity up to his feet. Seongkeum then walked Seonghwa to his cabin.

“I love you, Seonghwa, I hope you remember that.” Seongkeum said from the door.

“I love you too, Seongkeum. Thank you.” Seonghwa replied from his bed, then turning his back to the door, lying on his side. Seongkeum smiled before she closed the door and went back to her office, sighing heavily as she threw herself onto the couch. Seongkeum simply stared at the ceiling of her office. She then screwed her eyes shut, massaging her temples, groaning.

She was exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone i hope everyone is doing well in this pandemic. i also hope that this chapter was enough for everyone, and that you all enjoyed. it might be a little heavy on the feelings but angst isn't exactly my forte so idk if it was heavy enough??
> 
> anyway the next chapter might take a while, again. when i first started this story, i aimed for monthly updates and each chapter to be at least 3k words long, because it's what i felt was reasonable and what i usually aimed for when i wrote when i was younger. but i realised, that's probably not possible because i just don't have the energy and attention span i used to have when i was younger, and also not that good for my mental health. the quality of the chapters would also exponentially go down because i would just be forcing myself to create. so, i hope that you all are okay with this chapter length and shorter from now on, even though chapters are more sporadically added from now on. rest assured, i won't allow myself to abandon this story and this AU because it is my baby.
> 
> anyway, this chapter touched the slightest bit on grief and acceptance. and with the pandemic, as well as the general state of the world (BLM, terror bill, and just america going up in flames tbh), i hope that, if anyone is experiencing grief now, you're taking it slow and are treating yourself kindly. but please remember that you are not alone, so don't allow yourself to drown. seek help if you need, whether be it from friends or family or anyone you are comfortable with. remember that hard times will pass and if we hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up.
> 
> take care of yourselves and your loved ones, everybody.

**Author's Note:**

> title, summary, and tags might change i didn't plan far enough to think about these types of things ahah
> 
> i never proofread my work bc i get shy reading my own work sometimes so do excuse all and any mistakes in this fic.
> 
> feel free to hmu in the comments or twitter [@5ataen](https://twitter.com/5ataen) if u have questions or just simply wanna vibe ahah


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